Vol Au Vents for the Royal Foodie Joust

As I said in my last post, the Royal Foodie Joust is back!!!! That's great news because is one of my favourite events in the blogosphere :D. This month of May, the 3 ingredients are: greens, eggs and cheese.

Jenn from the Leftover Queen is planning to move the Joust to the Foodie blogroll but it seems that it will take a bit longer... we are patient and we have no problems waiting a bit more ;D.

Those of you whom follow this blog know my dislike for cheese... but, this was a major cause and I had to participate, so that's why I chose mozzarella... the only cheese I actually eat ;D.

Want to know more?

SUQUET DE PEIX, a Mediterranean flavours Ode.

Check all the ingredients of the recipe and see how healthy this dish is! We've got Olive oil, ripe tomatoes, fresh rock fish, some fresh seafood, garlic and onion, nuts... Who wants a generous serving? Hand me your plates please ;D.

This traditional dish started as a sailors humble meal. The fish fishermen could not sell at the market was used to make their lunch on board. However, things changed and nowadays, I spent nearly 100 Euros filling up my basket to perform this dish! Yes, you might think that is really expensive, but... there's always a but... I cooked not only the Suquet; I also prepared 2 more different dishes with the leftovers!!! Not that expensive anymore! I don't want to steal the crown to the real Leftover Queen, but, could I be a Queen of leftovers for one day with Jenn's Real permission? ;D. Don't miss the Royal Foodie Joust this month... it's back!!!

There's many different ways to perform a Suquet. If you head towards the north coast of Catalonia they will claim that Suquet is their invention and if you head south, they will also claim for that right too. So, no mather you take north or south, the result will always be spectacular! Maybe ingredients change a bit, maybe the cooking order is a bit different... if you follow this recipe, I tell you; you will be satisfied!

If you want to try the dish and you cannot find this special fishes wherever you live, you should ask your fish monger for those who have a hard meat.

Ingredients for 4 servings: for the fish stock: 2 carrots, 1 onion, 1 ripe tomatoe, 2 garlic cloves. The heads of the fish you won't use in the dish, half a kilo of rock fish , 3 liters of water and some salt.
For the dish: 1 red scorpion fish, 1 monkfish, 1 gilt-head (sea) bream or similar, 5 crayfish, a bunch of clams and a bunch of mussels, 500 grs of potatoes, 1 onion, 2 ripe tomatoes, olive oil and salt.
For the picada: Olive oil, 4 garlic cloves, 2 slices of toasted bread, 15 toasted hazelnuts, 15 toasted almonds, 4 teaspoons of ñora paste and some salt.

• In a deep pot place the peeled carrots, onion, tomatoe and garlic and some olive oil and start a sofrito, when it's all soft and the vegetables water has evaporated, add the cleaned fish (those for the stock) and stir for just one minute; then add the water. When it boils, take the foam away and let simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Strain and squeeze all fish in the strainer to get all juices in the stock and reserve.
• Start the dish in a big sauce pan. Pour some olive oil and cut the onion in small dices. Cook at low heat until transparent, then add the grated tomatoes and when they loose all the water add the potatoes (peeled and cut in dices). Stir until they get some colour. Add the different fishes (salted) cut in thick pieces and pour enough fish stock to nearly cover it all. Let it simmer for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile prepare the picada: Place a small sauce pan in the heat, peel and cut the garlic cloves and place them in the sauce pan together with some olive oil, let them golden up a bit. Take them away and put the bread slices and toast, take away from the heat. Now in a mortar or a blender, place the garlic, the bread, the ñora, the peeled and toasted hazelnuts and almonds, some salt and 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Blend and pour into the big sauce pan with the fish and potatoes.
• Stir for 1 minute and add the clean mussels, the clams and the crayfish. Once clams and mussels open, taste and add some more salt if necessary.
• Let the dish rest for 5 minutes and serve.

Want to serve in individual earthenware dishes or in glass bowls? No matter which one you choose, make sure you have some bread near!

Take a glimpse to the dishes I made with the leftovers:

Noodles paella with Squid and Fishballs with greenpeas.

I don't have the recipe for the noodles paella you see here, but the link takes you to another similar recipe where I used the fish stock too. The rest of ingredients can be seasonal or up to your particular taste.

Fish "Meatballs" are usually done with raw fish, but in this case, I made them with the leftovers of the Suquet's fish and they were spectacular!

Eat well!!!

Asparragus puree with Iberian Acorn Ham

Asparragus season is here! Get yourself a package or two and prepare the most delicious puree for the family and guests. If you are lucky enough to get some Iberian Acorn ham then the recipe gets close to perfection ;D.

I love simple recipes with basic ingredients and this one has it all! It's done in no time, it's healthy and it's flavourful. When buying seasonal products we contribute to local economy and to our own too.

Want to know more?

OLIVE OIL - Eating Good Feeling Good Event

Olive oil is such a great representative of our Mediterranean gastronomy and culture. From my point of view, is one of the most important products we have. I don't think there's a single kitchen in Spain that doesn't have at least 2 olive oil bottles in the pantry.

I usually have 1 kind of olive oil for frying and cooking and another kind for dressing salads, preparing allioli and marinating food. The former is a softer kind and the later is strong and flavourful as Extra virgin.






Let's see some true topics about Olive oil:

• When frying food the best choice is Olive oil because it supports high temperatures much better than other oils and does not alter the chemichal characteristics of the food. However, we should only consume fried food occasionally and never reuse the oil we have used on a first fry because reheating oil modifies its composition and it becomes unhealthy.
• Olive oil has beneficial effects on gastritis and stomach ulcer, improving their healing.
• Olive oil facilitates the evacuation of the bowel and therefore helps to keep away constipation.
• Olive oil has a positive influence on kids bodie's mineralization and bones development.
• Olive oil contains antioxidants that prevent oxidative stress; therefore it becomes an excellent ingredient to avoid premature aging.
  
• Olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids and it reduces and balances high blood pressure, making it a great ally to fight against atherosclerosis since hypertension is the major risk factor for this disease.
  
• The Olive oil intake improves glycemic profile and control of lipid metabolism.

Let's see some false topics about Olive oil:

• Olive oil can be used without restriction. No! Olive oil is very healthy because it contains monounsaturated fat, which prevents the formation of plaques in arteries, but it provides the same amount of calories than any other fat would. Therefore, we shouldn't abuse, especially if there are some overweight problems.
  
• A healthy diet shouldn't include fats on it. No! Fats are essential for healthy and balanced diets, they are an important source of energy. We should choose a healthy kind of fat and moderate its consumption because it sums lots of calories. In general, avoid saturated fats (meats, pates, pastries...) and choose vegetable fats, mainly olive oil (not palm oil or the coconut oil).
  
• Some oils are lighter than others. No! All oils contain the same amount of calories (900 calories x 100 grs). Therefore, Olive oil will fatten as much as sunflower oil.
• Raw Olive oil has less calories than the fried one. No! Both have the same calories.

These are some of the olive oils I use daily. They can be different depending on their acidity, on the kind of olives used to elaborate it, on their flavour...

According to wikipedia and based on 2005 data, Spain is the country that produces and consumes more olive oil per capita. Being Italy and Greece the second and third countries in the rank.

In the Mediterranean region, the traditional diet promotes the consumption of olive oil, fruit, vegetables, legumes and cereals; and the incidence of breast cancer and colon is infereior than in other regions. This kind of diet is rich in antioxidants, fatty acids and fiber, which are protective agents regarding cancer in general.

So, now is your turn to send a recipe to Eating Good Feeling Good new event! Use Olive oil in it and tell us how often you use it, or why you like using it, or how hard is for you to find it, or why you like its special flavour.... anything.

You can use it to fry your food, to dress that special salad you like, to marinate your fish or meat, to preserve your sardines or anchovies, to prepare your favorite vinagreitte, to perform that favourite sauce that marries that special meal.

FIND THE PARTICIPATION RULES HERE.

Can't wait to see all your recipes!!! Remember that you have time until the end of the 3rd week of June. Roundup will be posted by the end of June.

As an example, and bringing back to the front an old posted recipe, see how you can prepare the best allioli with the best Olive oil ;D

Eat Well! ♥♥♥